As the 2019 EU elections loom and a new European Commission takes office, climate action can become a key driver of a reformed EU project for more solidarity, protection and innovation, writes Luca Bergamaschi.

Europe is moving in the right direction in helping its cities become more resilient and sustainable, but the EU must streamline its myriad regulations and requirements to move the process along, the leader of an international NGO pioneered by the...

Examples of how to rebuild resilient societies in the wake of natural disasters and man-made conflicts, from countries are varied as Iraq and India, were on offer during the second day of the EU Development Days conference in Brussels on Thursday (8 June).

Michael Berkowitz, an expert on resilient cities, praises the work done by many European municipalities in preparing for risks linked to climate change, for example. But Europe should relax its privacy laws in order to better harness the power of data and deal with other emerging challenges, he claimed.

Ethiopia is facing its worst drought in decades, as a result of weather conditions known as El Niño, which are set to worsen. But the government is working hard to build resilience and to mitigate the crisis.

The EU commissioners dealing with development cooperation and humanitarian aid have pledged more work on “resilience”, defined as the ability of individuals and communities to recover from shocks and stresses.

The recently launched Global Alliance for Resilience Initiative (AGIR) is shaping up to be a major long-term EU-led strategy for Africa's fragile Sahel region. As a Commission official put it, if Europe would prove unable to prepare the next 20-25 years, it would then have to face the destabilisation potential of the region.

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